A. Author and work Relatively little in the biography of Publius Vergilius Maro (‘Virgil’, ‘Vergil’) is truly reliable. The following is more or less known. V. was born at Andes, near Mantua, on 15 October 70 BC. He died on 21 September 19 BC at Brundisium. His family was not of high social status. When he died, V.’s estate was of the scale befitting the Roman equestrian class. He was buried at Naples. While the names Vergilius and Maro indicate Etruscan origins, V. may have had relatives among the Oscan-speaking populace, via his mother Magia (or Maia). V. wrote his
Eclogues (
Bucolica; see bel…